Citizens of the World
The United States of America are the world's oldest republic. We have a form of government that has proven remarkably stable. Though we were not formed as a democracy, we struggled to become one, and so became an example for other countries in their own changes towards democracy. That flame, kindled long ago, now burns more brightly than in any age. We now live in a time when most people of the world have heard of democracy or are actively changing to or engaged in it.
However, there are still significant challenges to democracy, both within this country, and among all countries. Though our nation has aged greatly, with respect to Democracy, it has not aged gracefully. In our advancing age, the firm attachment to our covetted idea of Nation is clouding vision of our founding principle. Consider these words:
"We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Why not change "United States of America" to "World" instead?
Or in these words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
Strange that we have decided "Men" means "Humans", but that we have yet to actually uphold these words.
For certainly we don't mean it when instead of recognizing the natural rights of "all" humans, we instead name some "foreigners" and, in the name of our Nation, do to them what we would never do to our neighbor. That is not principle; that is selfishness. Selfishness because we deny humanity to others and yet keep it for ourselves. Such selfishness is a burden that subjugates our principle of Democracy. It is a deal with the Devil that will undo us if we do not undo it.
What is a Nation, anyways, that we would forget our founding Principle? A Nation is a group of people that sees themselves as sovereign or independent of other people, other nations. Perhaps this reality once made sense, as even life within a nation was often too uncertain to look beyond the "national horizon". But that is old thinking indeed.
On a globe there is only one horizon.
And on this globe, a shared culture is developing. As with any development, there are growing pains. Questions of relationships. Of primacy. Of control. Who is going to control the world of tomorrow? Under what flag will our children live?
Will it be the flag of a single nation? A group of people who considers themselves independent from all the rest, while of course being more connected to them than a hand is to a wrist?
Will it be a groups of nations? Collected togther under the auspices of avoiding international warfare, of managing global destruction?
Those are real opportunities, yes; but those globalist perspectives were forged without a shared, popular constitution, and so are fundamentally flawed and increasingly outmoded.
Fortunately, a clear alternative presents itself.
We should complete the democratic union among humans. We should affirm a new global constitution, and all become citizens of the world. Let us live in a community of all the peoples, a gathering of equals, and forge a common direction together. It can begin as simply as this:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all humans are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among humans, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. And so, We the people of the World, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United Peoples of the World..."
Should we accomplish this greater embodyment of humans on Earth, we will have reason to celebrate a new stage in our history. As we finish one great chapter, we will begin to write the next, this time with a completely new kind of horizon.
Ad Astra.